


Alpine

by FarFlungDreamer



Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Winter Soldier (Comics)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29562720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FarFlungDreamer/pseuds/FarFlungDreamer
Summary: The story of how Bucky Barnes finds his little white cat Alpine!
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Alpine

“Oh it was gorgeous, they sanded it back down to the original wood and repainted it white again. Just like it was.”

Rebecca handed him a little 8 by 8 of a house and James took it, glancing at it for a moment before returning his attention to his spirited sister. She was spirited today, anyways.

“It’s up for sale, you know,” She continued sadly and leaned back against her bed finally. He leaned forward in his chair besides her so she’d still be able to hear him.

“Is it?”

“Yes, and I’m just so upset. All those memories, all the kids growing up… my first real home!”

“That’s quite a few losses,” He frowned, seeing how stricken she looked. Her first real home… he wished they could have stayed together longer as kids out of boarding schools and army bases. It was probably more exciting to a young man, than his baby sister. James wished he could have seen her light up having her first home with her husband. 

He handed her photo back to her.

“Oh it's just a terrible Ron. After all the work we went through to get it!”

Ron was her husband. Local records in her town said he'd died eight years prior. Bucky supposed they would have been brother-in-laws. He put on a smile as she frowned at her photo of the house. This happened sometimes, they both had dark hair but the resemblance ended there. She still mistook him often, but Bucky didn't mind. He almost prefered it because there was no awkward re-explaining, no taxing emotions on her when she did understand briefly who Bucky was.

Here, she could just talk and feel comfortable. He was making her happy in whatever way and that’s what mattered to him.

“How could they take it away from them? The grandkids were renting it!”

“Reverse mortgage probably,” He said thoughtfully.

“Oh, we bought it. That should be the end of it.”

“Yeah, well it’s the butter and egg man.”

“The banks be damned!” She declared and he smiled at her. “Don’t know what good they ever were anyways.”

“They’re all wet.”

“Yes and the realtors too. At least you understand it! Everyone else just nods their head. ‘Oh yes, Mrs. Proctor, just awful.’ They don’t mean a word of it, though.”

“They’re just being polite Rebecca.”

“I know, but I wish sometimes people wouldn’t be so proper!”

He laughed to himself, smiling at the wistful way she acted so stubborn. Somehow she managed to be in her nineties and keep it up.

“Not much, they’re just a bunch of high hats.”

“Oh they really are,” She huffed, then she smiled about something secretly. “You know my James used to say that all the time.”

He was caught off guard, and stared blankly at the weepy face she made. Should he… say something, or would breaking her delusion hurt her somehow? Probably just confused her more but… he was sitting right here. He wasn't sure what to do.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” She sniffed slightly. “Look at me, still going on about it at this age.”

“He loved you,” James said sadly, reaching out to take her hand in his. It was all he could do for his little sister.

“Oh I know,” She sighed, patting his hand.

”The house,” He prompted her back gently.

“Oh right,” She shook her thin shoulders and then set the photo back on the nightstand. “I just wanted it to stay in the family, that’s all.”

=WS=

He looked over his shoulder, and kept his head angled down so the bridge of his cap would obscure his facial features from the security camera resting on the gas station across the street.

The xerox machine finished printing out the paperwork, and he smiled at the finished transaction. He’d done most of it online, signing with a local realtor was a chance he had to take and with a beard he had looked different anyways. It had all worked out, there was no way anyone could trace the cash and with any luck he didn’t get picked up by any cameras during his weekend here. He just needed to check the house out, and set up cleaners and he could be back in New York by Monday.

James crossed the street to his bike, rolling the papers and tucking them into his jacket. The speed limit wasn’t high enough for him to get there with any quickness, and so he ended up taking in most of the sights he’d completely forgotten. He didn’t have many memories of this place originally, or so he’d thought. Many of the shops on main street were the same colors they had been and he kept getting obscured flashes, wisps of a memory but they were all gone before he could really grasp them. He took a few photos on his camera, and wondered if he didn’t stare at them long enough later if some of it might come back to him.

He had only turned onto the freeway to get to the house for a few minutes before he slowed to a stop and pulled off on the side of the road. There was a box, with something moving in it that he’d gotten a pretty good look at. He took the safety off the gun tucked behind his shirt, as he dismounted and made his way there cautiously.

James frowned as he opened the box with the tip of his boot. Yeah, he’d seen it right. His eyes scanned the area but only two cars drove by and he pulled his cap out of his jacket pocket as he clicked the safety back on. Crouching down, he wished he hadn’t stopped. He didn’t think anyone had ma… suddenly there was movement out of the corner of the box and the quietest little mew he’d ever heard. A set of yellow eyes, white patches of fur tossed this and that way, blinked back at him.

“You’re a survivor, huh?” He asked it, and the cat just mewled again, and stumbled on the edge of the box. Bucky looked behind him and again to his left before he reached down to pick the little thing up. What asshole did this anyways? He ran a finger over the top of its head, and sighed as it tried to nuzzle deeper into his hand. The cat felt cold to him. Well, it wasn’t like he could leave the poor guy here. James wasn’t really sure how to deal with it, though, he didn’t exactly have a car he could set it on a seat or anything. 

“Let’s hope you’re not good with your claws,” James said down to him and walked back towards his motorcycle. Well, maybe he’d keep him in his metal hand just in case.

=WS=

The cat was good with its claws, but Bucky had managed to drive slow and hold it against his jacket with his metal hand enough he only got a few light scratches through to his shirt. Not bad, considering how loud the bike and the wind must be to the small cat.

Not that James knew what to do with him now that he'd arrived at his destination. So when he pulled to the side of the road and looked up at the house he’d purchased he just kept a hold on the frightened little orphan.

“Should we make this your home pal?” He asked the cat, and glanced down for a moment as if it would answer him before he turned his attention back to the house.

The fence closed in most of the lot, except for where the driveway led to the two door garage right on the left side of the two-story house. White shiplap siding sat under a blue metal roof and it looked like most of the houses on the quiet little street in Shelbyville, Indiana.

He still couldn’t believe Rebecca went back to Indiana to raise her family before living in New York again. He had memories of it, few now, but he knew he’d remembered it then. Rebecca had just barely been a toddler, but she couldn’t ever stay lucid long enough to explain it to him. Not that he remembered too much, either. For all James knew, this could be where his family had rented, owned or lived when they were small. He’d have to try and remember to ask Rebecca, or perhaps he could figure it out. That sort of stuff was so old, though, records weren’t kept back then like they were now. 

The six windows on the garage weren’t ideal, seven windows on the front of the house. There were just as many on the back of the house, he found as he encircled the exterior. The two sides only had two small second floor windows, those rooms could have some sort of potential. Clearly Rebecca wasn’t thinking of tactical safety when she purchased the sunny little house.

He rolled his eyes at the bad joke and finished back in front of the house, to the recessed entryway. The little wooden door matched the roof, but was probably easier to break into than not having a door. Well, it wasn’t like he’d be living here. Not that a door couldn't be fixed, or most of the security flaws here. He didn't need to think of any of that though.

He bought Rebecca’s old home for her, because it was something she wanted that he could actually do for her. James wasn’t even sure she’d be able to understand it later but he’d get the information to her on a lucid day.

Bucky almost wished, as he went through the house and checked the locks were secure, that it hadn’t been rented out. Maybe he could have seen pieces of the life Rebecca, or apparently her kids and grandkids, had lived. Might be better this way, though. The cat let out a little cry and he glanced down at it. As soon as he loosened his grip, the cat jumped out of his arms onto the floor.

“I know what you mean, I’m never going to live here, it’s a waste,” He sighed. Bucky had imagined he’d just buy it for her grandkids but… it would raise too many questions and it wasn’t a line he was comfortable crossing. Besides, it wasn’t exactly clean money or an on the table purchase and he wouldn’t want to bring anything bad on them. “But... she was so worried about it.”

That was enough of a reason, wasn’t it? A little ridiculous considering the effort it took to buy it off the books, so to speak, setting up a social and set of false IDs that were clean and unused. Well, for whatever it was worth at least in some way, her house was staying in the family. He felt like she’d be happy to hear about it when he saw her again. Even if he couldn’t use it being on the run, it would still be here and he’d make sure it was taken care of.

“Maybe it’ll just be a safe house, that’s all,” James said down to the cat, who ran between his legs as they went back down the stairs. Since he had none, currently, it wouldn’t hurt for him to produce a safe house in the future if anyone he knew should need it for once. Instead of leaning on other people’s hospitality. He just hated the idea of relying on anything while his name was as hot as it was. This wasn’t about safe houses, or ever even returning. It wasn’t about the Winter Soldier or that lifestyle, it was just about his baby sister. “For her, you know,” He told the white blur darting towards a window sill to jump into. 

He sure was active for being half starved. He knew the sentiment.

“Better question, what should I do with you?” He asked it, moving to lean on the windowsill next to the cat. It didn’t jump away or get upset, just turned to peer at him. He smiled a bit. 

Well he couldn’t just leave him in the house, he was going to set up a monthly cleaning and maintenance service, so it stayed ship shape and didn’t get squatters. The street here wasn’t an option, even if someone tried to approach him, they’d probably think it was a neighbor’s cat in this little town. Besides, the cat was malnourished and needed help. He didn’t want to risk going to an animal shelter, it seemed like saving it just to let it die.

He wasn’t even sure he had a choice because when he went out the door, the cat followed quickly underfoot and sat down at the sidewalk when he stepped out to his bike. He stared at James expectantly, then scratched at his pant leg once. James looked from the cat back around the block again.

“Alright, but this is going to be a much longer motorcycle ride,” James warned the cat, and leaned down to scoop him back up in his bionic arm. He was careful to mount his motorcycle, and keep the small guy level. He settled in quickly to James' chest, even if starting the bike up scared the cat a bit but he just kept a tight hold on him as he turned down and off of Alpine Drive.


End file.
